Changing Fates
by SkittlezLvr79
Summary: One Shot. What seemed to be certain at one point in time, doesn't always happen that way when matters of the heart arise. Jeff x Trish


**Disclaimer: **I don't own the people used in this work of fiction. They belong to themselves. The company and their respective onscreen persona's belong to Vince McMahon. The song _You Wanna Make a Memory_ is owned by Bon Jovi and is being used solely for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Written for the WWE FanFiction Library's June fic contest. What seemed to be certain at one point in time, doesn't always happen that way when matters of the heart arise.

* * *

Trish sat in her hotel room, her mind replaying her match from earlier in the evening and the fans emotional reaction at the end of it. When she hoisted that belt above her head for the last time and the fans chanted "Thank you Trish", she had to fight to hold back the flood of tears that had welled up. But the second she got into the back and found her co-workers gathered there and applauding for her, she succumbed to the emotions.

The business had become her passion and they were her family. She would miss both terribly but she knew that if her marriage was going to work then she had to sacrifice it. Her favorite road CD came to a stop and she pressed play, wanting to hear it again for the last time. The bottle of wine that Jerry Lawler had given her at the end of the show looked tempting and she could no longer resist the pull. After she opened the bottle, she set it down to let the wine rest for a minute, knowing it needed time to breath.

She wished that her fellow divas didn't have a photo shoot tomorrow so they could join her in one last drink. But they had jobs to do and as of tonight, she no longer did. It felt weird to no longer be involved in the aspects of a divas life that she enjoyed. There'd be no more exotic location photo shoots or random shopping trips with the girls. No more gossiping while they worked out.

The light knocking at her door caught her off guard. She started in surprise but quickly composed herself and crossed the room to open the door. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly at the sight of the person standing before her, a strained smile curving his lips. For a minute, she had the feeling that she had been transported back in time to three years ago when their relationship had been very different than it was now.

**Hello again, it's you and me  
Kinda always like it used to be**

"Hey Trish." Jeff's smile wobbled and he tried to force it back on his face but failed, dropping it completely. "Mind if I come in?"

She shook her head mutely, unable to find her voice. Her hands trembled as they closed the door and the overly loud sound of wood meeting wood drowned out her sigh. Turning to him, she cast a wary, expectant look at her ex and crossed her arms over her chest. They hadn't talked since they had broken up and she wondered what this late night visit was about.

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a long time. But I couldn't find the courage. I knew that if I couldn't do it tonight, that I'd lose my chance forever." He started but paused when he spotted the open bottle of wine. "Oh. I'm sorry, I'm disturbing you."

"You're not." She wished that her voice didn't sound so desperate. "I just opened up my gift from the King and was about to have some. You want a drink?"

"Uh…sure. That would be good." He seemed almost grateful for the momentary distraction and sat down on the edge of her bed.

**Sippin' wine, killing time  
Trying to solve life's mysteries**

She poured the fragrant red liquid into two plastic cups and handed one to him. Bringing the cup to her lips, she took a small sip and savored the flavor. Sweet, sharp and intense at first taste but mellow to swallow. Nothing cookie-cutter about it. The king definitely knew how to pick a good wine.

After another sip, she turned her studious gaze upon him. His face was tense, his eyes shifting around the room, his free hand fiddling with his pocket. He was already half done with his drink and taking another big swallow as she watched. She knew him well enough to tell that whatever he had come to talk about was making him nervous. And that worried her. "So…"

"So," He repeated, but went for another gulp of wine.

**How's your life, it's been awhile?  
God it's good to see you smile**

An awkward chuckle slipped over her lips and she felt a smile tugging at her lips as recalled the only other time that things between them had been so awkward. Right before he asked her out for the first time. For weeks, he struggled to get his nerve up but always failed, instead engaging her in conversation about music. It was the only time that she had seen the normally unflappable, laid-back Jeff Hardy completely undone.

"How have you been?" He finally asked, eyes searching her face for an answer.

"I've been ok." She informed him vaguely, not wanting to get into too many details of her life. "You?"

"Still kicking." A forceful nod followed that as if he needed to reassure himself about the fact.

The awkward silence once again settled over them and like last time, Jeff downed the remainder of his wine. He stared into the depths of his empty cup as if it held the words he was looking for. When he looked up from it, he got to his feet. "I should go…"

**I see you reaching for your keys  
Looking for a reason not to leave**

But he made no move to leave. Just stood there, staring at the boring beige carpeting as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"Jeff, why'd you really come here?" She needed to know just to satisfy the curiosity she felt at this unexpected visit. Nothing more. Or at least that's what she told herself.

"To see you." He raked a hand through his multicolored hair and took a deep breath. "I couldn't let you leave without trying to make things right."

**If you don't know if you should stay  
If you don't say what's on your mind  
Baby just breathe  
There's nowhere else tonight we should be**

"Why now?" She asked quietly, confused. "Why not three years ago?"

"Because I wasn't capable of anything but screwing up back then." There was no bitterness, no pity in his voice. Just flat, dull resignation of fact. He shook his head slowly, "And it's haunted me all this time."

**You wanna make a memory?**

All the pain she had locked away and the memories that caused them came flooding back to her. She never truly got over it. Just locked it away and moved on. But now, with him standing there, saying he wanted to make things right she couldn't pretend she was fine anymore. It was time to face the past and deal with the scars it had left on psyche.

"Just let go of it." Her tone was imploring and soft but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "It's what's best."

"No, it's not." He dug in his pocket and drew out his wallet. Flipping it open, he shoved the photograph in front of her face.

**I dug up this old photograph  
Look at all that hair we had**

Trish swallowed as she stared at the picture. It had been taken at one of their infamous Christmas bashes. It had been a raucous, crazy night that didn't end until the next morning. Her and Jeff were sitting on an old, worn recliner and someone was holding mistletoe over them. Their lips were fused in a passionate kiss, her hands tangled in his long, multicolored locks.

"We love each other." Jeff said flatly, sadness prevalent in his tone.

"Loved." She corrected but even to her own ears, it lacked conviction.

"Are you sure?" He moved closer and with every centimeter of space lost between them, her heart rate increased.

His hand cupped her face and every nerve in her body focused on the feel of it. Gently, his thumb caressed the planes of her cheekbones, as if he was committing the curvature to memory. She swallowed thickly and opened her mouth to offer a feeble protest. But he didn't allow that to happen. His lips closed over hers in a soft, teasing kiss that rocked her to her very core.

The pressure of his mouth on hers increased, as did the urgency of the lip lock. She couldn't fight the temptation any longer and started kissing him back. His tongue glided across her lower lip, seeking permission to deepen the soul-searing kiss. Her lips parted of their own accord and his tongue languidly stroked against hers. Without realizing it, she bound her arms around his waist, clutching him tightly against her.

**It's bitter sweet to hear you laugh  
Your phone is ringin' I don't wanna ask**

The jangle of her cell phone penetrated through the bubble that had surrounded her and she wrenched her lips from his. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she desperately gulped in air, staring into his hooded, desire-darkened eyes in shock. She nearly jumped off the bed; not only to answer the phone but also to put some much needed distance between them. The phone rang again and she grabbed it quickly, hoping that it wasn't whom she thought it was on the other end of the Line.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded tentative, almost afraid. Then her heart sank as she heard her future husband's voice, full of concern for her.

Jeff just sat there, watching her carefully as she lied to her husband and offered him a fake, brittle laugh when he asked if she was living it up. She put a hand to her forehead and made an excuse to get him off the phone as quickly as possible. He hung up with an "I love you" that made her feel worse than she already had. A sigh burst from her as she tossed the phone down onto the table, harder than she anticipated.

"That him?" He asked even though he obviously already knew the answer.

"Why ask something you already know the answer to?" She shot back angrily, eyes flashing as she glared at him.

**If you go now, I'll understand  
If you stay, hey, I've gotta plan**

"You want me to go?"

The best answer she could give would have been a resounding yes. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say it. She stared at him for a moment then looked away, turning her attention to the ceiling as if it could help her out of this mess.

That intense, hypnotic gaze was focused on her. She could feel the heat of it crashing against her face. But she refused to look at him, knowing what his next question was going to be. "Do you want me to stay?"

She was at war with herself and honestly didn't know what she wanted. Part of her wanted to kick him out, not only of the room but her life for good. But the other part of her wanted to fall into his arms and let him promise that they could go back, that things would be different this time.

"Darlin, look at me." His tone was silky, persuasive and she responded to it automatically, locking her eyes on his. "I love you Trish. Have since the first moment I saw you and I know that I always will. I screwed things up between us before and I'm more sorry about that than you could ever know."

The way those words rolled off his tongue, that sweet southern twang softening them, it made her breath catch in her throat. He had always been so good with words and promises that romanced away the doubts she had. But unfortunately when it came to backing those sentiments up, he failed miserably and only ended up causing her pain.

**You wanna make a memory?  
You wanna steal a piece of time?  
You can sing the melody to me  
And I can write a couple lines**

She heard him coming toward and stiffened when she felt his hand capture hers. He pulled her rigid body to his and bound his arms around her protesting form. His forehead leaned against his and she couldn't help the startled breath that familiar position caused her to take.

"Don't marry him darlin'." His tone was almost pleading. "He doesn't love you like I do and he never could. To me, you are the world and I couldn't take living in it without being able to touch you or kiss you."

**You wanna make a memory**

It sounded so good, so perfect.

But how long would it last this time? How long before some new bout of depression, hobby or addiction came between them again? What if he started feeling burnt out again? Where would it leave her if he lost his passion for the business and decided to walk away for a second time? Could she handle the possibility of losing him again after the dealing with the pain it caused the first time?

"I know I don't deserve it Trish, but I want a second chance." He drew back and looked down at her, hope shining in his handsome face. "And this time baby, I won't screw it up. I couldn't take the pain of being without you again."

**If you don't know if you should stay  
If you don't say what's on your mind**

She wanted to believe him, desperately. Being that close to him, having his arms around her, she could no longer deny that she still loved him. It was a powerful love, one that time or distance could not extinguish. But that didn't change the fact that taking him up on that promise would still be risky.

And it didn't change the fact that she had agreed to spend the rest of her life with someone else. Her fiancée was a good man. A hard worker who wanted to give her a normal life. Who wanted to be her protector. He was a straight shooter and always stuck to his word, no matter what. She knew that she could trust him and depend on him to be there when she needed him.

"Trish, baby? Can you say something? I'm getting nervous."

She couldn't say the same thing about Jeff. Their past had showed her the side of him she never knew he possessed. A side that both terrified and shocked her. Life wouldn't be normal or predictable with him. There were no guarantees that he wouldn't get bored and walk away again.

**Baby just breathe  
There's nowhere else tonight we should be  
We should be**

Weighing the pro's and cons of being with each man wasn't helping her. All it did was remind her that she was about to break one man's heart and accept the other's. She needed to go with her heart, no matter where it took her.

**You wanna make a memory?  
You wanna steal a piece of time?**

Trish cared for Ron deeply or else she wouldn't have accepted his proposal. He had picked up the pieces of her life when it had fallen apart and helped her move on. She would always be grateful to him for being her rock when things got hard. Would give him all the credit for helping her find a strength in herself she hadn't known existed. But caring for someone wasn't enough to base a marriage on.

**You can sing the melody to me  
And I can write a couple lines**

Her heart was and would always be with Jeff. No matter how risky it was to be with him, she couldn't go on living her life without him. Didn't want to. And once she was able to find the right words, she would never have to.

"I want to be with you, forever Trish." Jeff stated firmly, holding her face in his hands and staring into her eyes. "No more running away or hiding when things get tough. I want it all. The marriage, the children, the growing old together."

"Ok." She said softly and tiptoed up, quickly brushing her lips over his.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Ok?"

"If that's what you really want then I'm willing to try this again."

**You wanna make a memory**


End file.
